


Three pins, Three hairs

by IllyasJames



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 18OI AU Week 2019: Day 1, Arranged Marriage, Don’t copy to another site, Fairy Tale Retellings, Happy Ending, M/M, No animals were Killed during the making of this story, The Goose Girl, The enchanted canarie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 11:54:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19084513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllyasJames/pseuds/IllyasJames
Summary: Prince Victor gets turned into a Goose by the Servant his Mother sent with him on his travel to meet with a neighboring Prince for marriage. While the Servant as the fake prince tries to woo Yuuri, Victor is stuck with Yura the Goose boy. Who finds himself in for quite a surprise.





	Three pins, Three hairs

**Author's Note:**

> The 18+ server is holding an event week. Everyday a different AU.  
> Monday June 3: Fantasy/Fairytale/Mythology
> 
> A bit later in the day than planned but I had a lot on my emotional plate. 
> 
> Originally planned a tale with mermans and such for today, but after going over what I had I knew it wasn't right. So I wrote this one today instead.

It was a cold day when Victor was called in to his mother’s drawing room after breakfast for what would be a conversation that changed the life he knew and thought he would have. His mother had never looked old enough to have a son of his age but the death of his father some five years prior after a long and happy marriage had left it’s marks. 

Not just on the people of House Nikiforov but also on the country. They had struggled to keep the people content after losing such a beloved King. Especially when the council had decreed Victor and his sister could not consider taking the crown unless they were wedded. 

With his sister’s wedding, to one of their trade partners second son, all seemed stable again, and he expected to be informed that his mother would soon step down. Instead she motioned for him to sit with her and she held her hands af if to tell bad news. 

“We have raised both of our children equal, and strong. Both of you are suited to rule and now fate has decreed that will be so.” She smiles at Victor softly. 

“What do you mean mother?” Victor kneels at her feet, looking up at her tired face.

“There seemed to have been some things going on over there that we were not informed about. Some things came to head and well” His mother sighs “as of two days ago, your sister has been elevated to Queen.” 

Victor leans back on his haunches, studying his mother’s face for a short moment, then nods. “I see.” 

“I’m so sorry my boy. I had hoped to give you more time.” His mother pats his cheek.

Victor sits down in the chair opposite his mother. “I trust you and the council have gone over the options already and found me a suitable partner?” 

His mother nods, takes a folder from the table beside her chair and hands it over. “We have good relationships with the Katsuki’s, they have strong family lines with the houses around their lands, and young Yuuri is told to be both intelligent and kind.” 

“When do you need me to leave?” Victor doesn’t open the file, he remembers the young Katsuki from when his sister had gone over them. 

“We need this union as fast as possible, so I have had the council arrange for you to leave in an hour.” His mother says softly. 

An hour passes very fast when you have many things to do, and soon Victor finds himself on the terrace hugging his mother and his dog. 

“You be good now Makka, keep mother company till I return.” He stands up and shars a look with his mother, both knowing how devious the dog could be if they wanted. 

“Victor.”   
“Mother.” 

They laugh lightly at starting at the same time. He bows to allow his mother to continue. To his surprise she pulls the pendant his father had bestowed on her on their wedding day over her head and puts it on him. 

“Take this with you and do stay safe.” 

He touches the pendant and let the promise slip through his lips easily. 

The servant the council had appointed to him on the trip was not one Victor had ever dealt with before. The man just looked at him with cold eyes before settling on their horse, not even bothering to offer to help Victor. 

Victor patted his family’s prized horse Falada, as a child he was certain the horse could speak, but he was never able to actually catch them doing it. The horse was older than average but still strong and Victor had no doubt he would be brought to the Katsuki’s safely on their back. 

They drove at a good speed all morning and by the time it was time for lunch they had managed to make quite some distance. Victor had attempted to lighten the mood by talking to the servant but the man seemed to be the silent and stern type. 

Upon coming past a lovely field that harbored some thick leaved trees Victor suggest for them to step off the horses and take something to eat in their shadow. The servant turns the horse to a tree and disembarks immediately. 

Expecting the man to set up the food Victor steps off more slowly and rubs Falada down a bit. Once he’s done that he is surprised to find the servants horse still steaming under its saddle and the man already eating his bread without a single sign to care. 

Not wanting to see an animal get hurt Victor moves over and rubs the horse down as well. After that he moves to where the bags are and takes a piece of bread and some cheese. Finding his throat parched he asks the servant to get him something to drink. 

The man looks up from where he was slumped down, opening only one eye. “I was not rested well last night as this order to ride out came suddenly. I am tired and finally relaxed, you seem to have enough energy though and are closer to the stream, I see no harm in you getting that drink yourself.” He then proceeds in closing his eye again and to Victor’s best guess falls asleep.

Seeing as the man does look weary, and Victor is thrumming with restless energy he sees no harm in actually doing as suggested. So he stands up and walks over to the stream, missing the shrewd look on the servants face when he opens his eyes to see Victor go. 

After a short nap they set out to continue their journey, the man no more talkative than before. So Victor just starts talking to Falada instead. Lamenting about the son of the Katsuki house, how adorable the young man looks in his portraits, and how he hopes they have a connection that will be strong enough to build a lasting marriage on. 

Several times Victor’s hand moves to his head, wondering if any of the decorative feathers of his hat stick through as it feels something is pricking his scalp. But all seem to be in place and he leaves it at that. 

For dinner they stay at a small hut that was put aside the road for travelers to stay in on their journeys. Once again the servant leaves the horses to Victor to fend for, eats without setting anything ready for the prince, and tells him to get his own drink. 

Victor offers for them to stay at the hut for the evening as evening falls in early this time of year and he is not certain there is any other shelter coming up before it is dark. 

The servant agrees, and to Victor’s surprise offers to brush his hair for him. 

Unbeknownst to Victor the servant pulls out a single Silver strand claiming their was a knot that had done the pulling. Neither did he know the servant put it in his pouch next to the one he had stolen after lunch, nor did he see the small pin the servant than pushed in his hair. Claiming the sting came from the plaiting of the hair that took place. 

When morning comes Victor finds himself a bit more sluggish than he is used to be, blaming it on the less than comfortable bedding the hut offered. So instead of combing his hair out he decides to leave it plaited. They will not make it to the home of the Katsuki’s till about dinner time so he doesn’t worry. 

The road is more diverse now that they crossed the border and Victor is amazed at the beautiful surrounding. So occupied is he, he doesn’t notice his voice shifting tone or his hair looking more like feathers under his hat. Nor does he spot the pleased look on the servants face when small white feathers sprout on the outer shell of Victor’s ears. 

Around lunch time they come across a small shadowed area that is covered by an overhanging rock. It looks serene and Victor makes a movement with his arm to indicate that he wishes to settle down for lunch. The servant agrees with a cold nod. 

Like the day before it is Victor that settles to take care of the horses, finding both Falada as the one from the servant acting very nervous around him. Also like the day before, the servant has already finished eating before Victor was done. 

Unlike the day before the man offers to do Victor’s hair. Claiming there will be no more time after they leave as they will be upon the Katsuki household soon. Victor realizes the man must have been here before. So he allows the man to do his hair on the promise he tells Victor all he knows. The man to his great pleasure agrees.

“It has been some years now, the young lord Yuuri was not even of age yet. I came here with the trade officer, I was fairly new to the regiment and it was my first large mission.” The man snickered softly. “We were offered food and drinks, and to our joy it seemed the young Lord had been studying dance. So that evening we stood guard at the edge of the room when he danced. He was so little and shy all through the day, but once he started moving he commanded the room.” 

Victor yelps when a small sting behind his ear startles him. “Another knot, do not worry I will soon be ready, then all is as it should be.” 

The third Silver hair slips in the pouch and the third of the pins is stung in Victor’s hair. 

This time though the result is immediately. 

Victor finds his whole body burn, sharp sparks of pure electricity causes him to curl in on himself. He tries to turn to ask for help, but the world blurs all around him, then turns dark. 

When he opens his eyes again, the light around him tells him that quite some time has gone by. 

He tries to get back to his feet, only to wobble over. He pushes out his hand to stop his fall, but finds a wing instead. He tries to look himself over but can only spot silver white feathers. He turns his neck to look at his feet and find some that look nothing like his had done. He tries to move away but finds himself tied to a nearby rock. 

A quick look around tells him that both the horses as the servant are gone. 

He was turned into a bird, not even certain what kind of bird but a bird no less, and then left. 

Victor stretches his neck and looks into the small stream he is beside. He lets out an undignified Gak. he had hoped to have been a swan but it seems he was nothing but a geese.   
Yura hated his life. It was boring, it was unadventurous, and most of all it was not what he wanted it to be. His grandfather had moved them to the neighboring country when Yura’s father had attempted a coup after the old King had died, not wanting his grandson growing up with the burden of being Roman Plisetsky’s son. 

Poorly they left with nearly a penny on them, so once they settled down it was up to Yura to get them the money they needed. 

As he always had liked animals the boy had decided to offer his services to local farmers to herd their sheep, and other animals. It had just been Yura’s luck that the only one looking for a herder had been the old Lady down the road that owned Geese. 

So here he was herding Geese up and down the same roads every single day, twice a day, with only the weather being a change in factors. 

So when he heard a goose call out when he was back down after midday he thinks it was one of the twelve he was looking after, but they are all nearby and only look concerned about having heard the same sound. 

He looks around and to his surprise he sees a large goose, at least a full foot bigger than the ones he is herding, trying to release themselves from a noose that is tying them to a rock. Yura doesn’t need to be a genius to see that all it has done is make the noose get very tight across the goose’s neck. 

He runs over, pulling his dagger. “Stop struggling you fool. You will only manage to break your own neck with how you are going.” To his amazement the goose stops struggling and seems to await his help. 

“Well you seem lost for a bit. Why not come with me?” Yura cuts the rope and pockets the dagger. 

He did not know what to expect, but surely not for the bird to nod as if he understood what had been said. Nor for the bird to follow him very closely, a bit wobbly on its legs as if they hadn’t figured out yet how walking actually worked. 

Once back down to the small village that was now his home he puts the lady’s geese in their evening pen and walks to the small cabin he shares with his grandfather with the white goose right behind him. 

Luckily his cat is a good dear and seems to allow for the goose to stay with them. 

For the next few days the goose follows Yura everywhere he goes, listening to him lament about his life and why he is where he is today.   
News comes to the small town a full two weeks after he found the goose that the Katsuki’s are holding a large celebratory dinner in a few days to celebrate the engagement between their son Yuuri and the Prince of the neighboring country, Victor. 

Why Yura can’t say, but it is clear to him the goose seems terribly heartbroken over this news. He lets out soft gaks as if he tries to speak. 

Seeing the bird sad makes Yura feel a bit guilty as all he could think about was how this meant that Prince Victor would become King soon and he would be able to go back home. So he pets the goose on his head trying to console them. His hand hits something sharp and protruding from behind the goose’s ear. He quickly puts his fingers around it and pulls, finding a small silver pin in his hand. 

The goose had jumped when he had done so and was looking at him with an angry look on its face. Yura expected to get a lot of loud angry gakking when the beak opens. 

“That hurt!!” The goose ruffles its feathers. “Honestly, I am already hurt enough that an imposter prince is taking place beside the young lord Yuuri, do you have to torment me further by hurting me and pulling out my feathers.” 

Yura’s mouth drops open, close, and open again, unable to produce sounds. 

He has to shake his head a few times to get things sorted.

“You can speak!” he points at the goose. “I can understand what you are saying!!” Then a thought strikes him. “What do you mean imposter prince.” 

The goose ruffles his feathers again, looking more collected. 

“Just as I say. The one courting the young Lord is not Prince Victor. It is an imposter.” the goose sighs. “Poorly they do not know that and I am in no position to do anything to stop this.” 

Yura nods. It seems he will get his interesting life after all. He runs to his grandfather and tells him what the goose had told him, for a moment the old man looks as if he doesn’t believe him but when the goose walks in and starts talking that changes dramatically. 

Nikolai goes over to a neighbor and convinces them to let them borrow a cart. They tie an old donkey to it and before the day is over they set out to the Katsuki mansion. 

Victor sits in the back with the two Plisetskys on the front. He had not even known that Roman Plisetsky had a child nor that the boy was well on his way to be a man. If they succeed, and he truly hopes they do, he will have to reward them significantly. 

They arrive at the Katsuki main house quite late in the evening, finding the place already settled for the night. Afraid to awaken the people their as they are yet to settle on a plan they put the cart behind a shed and settle for a night sleep like that. 

Yuuri walks the halls of his house much later than is proper, but sleep has been deluding him, mocking him in its plight to be absent. For years he had wished for fate to put him in a position to capture the neighboring prince’s eye, but now that he had it he felt it was all wrong.

When Victor had arrived two weeks earlier, on a battered horse and with dirt on his clothes, he had been feeling it to be too much honor. Then when he heard how he had been robbed by his own servant, left to fend for himself without his clothes, and even his own horse, he had felt the need to console the man. 

There had just been something that had felt off. Something about Victor’s eyes, that were darker than on his paintings -artistic freedom, as Minako called it-, and his hair, although the silver it should be, just did not look as real as it should have been. 

Yuuri felt as if he was being deceived but just could not determine how.

So he wandered the halls at night, trying to postpone the engagement as long as he could. But after two weeks the councils patience with him had been depleted and they had announced the engagement to the people without informing him. 

Victor had looked so happy, he had taken Yuuri’s hand and kissed him, telling him that he would make it so that Yuuri would never regret agreeing. Yuuri had not dared to say he already was. He looks at the silver strand of hair he had plucked from the plaid the previous evening during dinner. It had looked loose and Yuuri had been unable to resist.

He looks out of one of the many windows and finds a cart standing where no cart had been standing just a small hour before. He moves over to the kitchen, and as it is cold out he puts out the scullery helps outer coat to keep him from getting too chilled.

When he approaches the cart he hears two or three voices, so he calls out. 

“Good evening. It is far too cold to sleep outside, please if you have no other place to go we have an empty shack a little down the road that should provide coverage.” 

He is looked at by an older man, surely older than his father that gives him a soft smile. “Thank you young man. That is very appreciated. Could you also tell us at what point tomorrow the people of this house could see fit to speak to us, we have something of great matter to tell them.” 

Yuuri blinks. This man speaks in his own language, but his tone is far more civilized as his humble clothing would suggest. He is intrigued. 

“They have no trouble accepting guests and callers just after breakfast. Come then and they will surely receive you.” 

“Thank you. Now where did you say that shack was?” 

Yuuri gives them directions and sees them off before stepping back inside. He fails to see the curtains in what should have been Victor’s room flutter shut. 

The next morning Yuuri wakes well after breakfast to find the house in a state of uproar. When Yuuri asks what might be going on he finds that Victor had received word that some people involved with an attempted coup were rumored to be hiding in their country. All guards were on the lookout, and just after breakfast they had apprehended the people they were looking for when they had entered the grounds demanding to speak to the family. 

It wasn’t till it was almost Lunch that he realized the old man and young boy he had spoken to the evening before had not come. Yuuri leans back in his chair understanding that they had clearly been from the same country as Victor’s, but he refused to believe they had meant harm. 

He seeks out MInako, from all the people here she was most willing to believe him about something with Victor being off, and again she offered a listening ear. 

“I fear that these were the people I spoke to, and they did not seem to mean any harm. If anything I think they would tell something that would prove my suspicions about Victor. Please Minako can you go and seek out what they had been planning to tell. I can not leave the house and I know that it is important.” 

Minako promised him she would go as soon as she could and left right afterwards to the small jailhouse across the town the two captured were being held in. To her amazement she found the place to hold quite a spectacle, for there was a goose perched on a high branch just outside the place yelling at the guards. 

And it was very clear what he was yelling about, for his words were completely understandable.

“You must release them at once you fools. Your young Lord is in danger of an Imposter yet you follow his words instead of reason.” The goose bellows out.

“Lady Minako!” The young Takeshi, a friend of Yuuri, looks up relieved when he spots her. “We do not know what to do. We have our orders but then this is a talking goose we are seeing and I am not certain how that relates to reason.” 

MInako laughs, the man has three young daughters -triplets no less- yet he is more frazzled over a goose that speaks than he had ever been before. 

“Do not worry I am here to take care of things.” She pats him on the shoulder and moves towards the tree.

Looking up she can see the goose looking back with eyes a color blue that she has never seen on any living being before, yet a little voice in the back of her head tells her she has seen it before someplace.

“You goose. Do come down. We will listen to what you have to say.” 

As if he contemplates her words the goose holds his head slightly ajar, then jumps from the branch and makes a nice arch in the air before landing at her feet. She is surprised to find the bird quite a size bigger than what she had thought he would be.

“You will need to release the Plisetkys too, they might be related to Roman, neither of them should be held accounted for acts they had neither part nor play in.” 

Minako nods and signals for the guards to let the two prisoners out. 

She sees the old man being supported by the young boy, and understands they will need to offer them their apologies in quite a manner later. 

“Now how is the man engaged to my nephew an imposter he looks right like the man on all the portraits we have been sent over the years. Unless this was a very long hoax in the making.” 

Victor shakes his wings out before erecting himself to his full length. 

“The man posing as the prince used magic to assume the prince’s form. I have no doubt it is in fact the servant that was sent alongside the prince to keep him safe on his journey to the Katsuki house. He must have something of the prince to keep the form, but I do not know what as it could be anything Prince Victor had on him.” 

Minako looks stricken, if what the goose was saying was true than the situation was worse than she thought. She wants to say something but is distracted by the light catching on something stuck on the side of the goose’s head. She leans over, plucking a small gold needle from the goose’s head. 

Victor jumps and asks her if it is custom to repay one that delivers warning with stinging them. Minako swears she had meant no harm saying she had acted to help as something had been stuck in his feathers. Victor decides to believe her. 

Yuuri looks at the man sleeping in his lap, he wonders how it had turned out like this, his fingers itching to see if the hair was real or not as they appeared even darker than before. It is then that he spots a silver strand among the tight braid that seems loose. He slowly pulls it out and pockets it with the one he had previously collected.

He truly hopes Minako returns soon with news as he is certain now he wishes not to marry this man.

Victor had been hovering around him from the moment he had returned from Minako, lamenting about how they would be spending married life. In very great and explicit detail. Then he had insisted on sitting with Yuuri when he played his instruments only to call the tunes he played boring and fall asleep on him without even so much as asking if his touch was appreciated. 

If they did not needed the trade agreement with the house of Nikiforov Yuuri would have smacked the man over the head and kicked him out. 

Unless Minako came back with something good he was stuck with a man that annoyed him and wanted more than Yuuri was willing to ever give. 

It takes for another two hours before Yuuko enters the music room and states that they are requested to join his parents for dinner in the great hall. Victor shoots up at hearing her voice and snarls that she should have properly knocked making Yuuko wince. 

He then turns his eyes to Yuuri and goes on about how they should start deciding on what they would serve during their wedding banquet. After all it would be improper to serve the guests that would surely attend such an event the common foods Yuuri’s parents had been serving them. 

Yuuri wants to tell the man off when he notices something. The man’s eyes that had been a dark blue before were now a more greyish brown color. And he was absolutely certain that the hair he saw was yet again darker. Darker enough to make Yuuri spot one very distinctive silver strand in it. 

What was going on here. 

Upon entering the dinner hall Yuuri was pleased to only see his parents and Minako present, the latter giving him a small nod. Before they can get seated though Mari speaks up.

“Victor could I pick your brain for a moment” Victor nods willingly, although he had made it clear to Yuuri he considered his sister uncut. “Minako and I were debating some matters I read in a book once. What do you believe is the best punishment when one enters a place under false pretenses. Minako is convinced a long prison sentence would do the trick, I am more partial to boiling on in oil even if such practices are not looked on kindly.” She smiles softly.

Victor slaps his shin. “It is clear neither of you are good in thinking of anything. For the punishment should be similar to how they gained access. If they did it by force, a forceful punishment is needed, but if they did it by being cunning then simply boiling them or locking them up will do nothing to the matter.” 

“Ah that makes sense. So when one breaks a door in, you break their hand. And if one lies it should be something that makes them regret their action. But what if one steals the identity of say another?” 

Yuuri looks up startled, seeing only calm resolve all around, so he was right this Victor is not Victor at all. 

“In that case,” the fake Victor laments, not realizing his cover is up. “It depends on exactly what damage was done to the person whose identity was stolen and the punishment should be equal to that.” he smiles, revealing a crookedness to his teeth he had not have before. “What has happened that you ask such matters as they are a bit heavy for dinner.” 

Minako leans forward. “I went to the prison cell and talked to the prisoners. They had some very interesting things to say.” 

The fake Victor leans back finally seeing the animosity on Mari’s face. “Are you accusing me of something? For know my country has more power than yours.” 

“You have no country you ass.” A clear voice rings through the room. “You are obviously not the real Victor, your hair isn’t even the right color.” 

Yuuri looks at the young boy standing near the door, a goose standing beside him.

A goose nearly as tall as the boy. 

That is when Yuuri spots the silver hair in the fake Victor’s braid. It calls out to him and he responds.

Conrad jumps when Yuuri violently pulls the silver strand from his hair along with three of his own. Whatever spell he woven around him breaks completely, showing a man as far from regal as one can be. 

Guards come running to pin the man, who is yelling that it is impossible for the spell to have come undone, down to the floor. He is so enraged he spouts out exactly how he had taken the identity of the lost Prince, how it could not have failed as he had left the prince with no means to survive. They are all shocked to realize that if the spell would have been final upon the Prince’s death, it being able to break had meant the prince was still alive and out there. 

Yuuri turns to his parents. “We have to go and look for him. It has been two weeks who knows in what state he is in.” 

“Do not bother sending out people your Lords and ladies.” The Goose speaks. “For I am already here.” 

Conrad hearing those words start swearing that he should have cut Victor’s throat before leaving that spot, how he had been distracted by Falada breaking loose and running off. He goes into more details but none really pay attention. 

All eyes are on Yuuri walking over to the human sized goose, the silver strand of hair tucked in his pocket, the three of Conrad given to Minako, a soft smile on his face. 

Victor though looks just sad. 

“Why are you sad my prince, is it because you are a goose?” Yuuri slowly moves his hand over the feathers of Victor’s cheek. 

Victor shakes his head. “It is because I understand I stand no right in earning your love looking like this. For I doubt one is willing to marry a goose, no matter how eloquent they speak.” 

Yuuri blinks. “You wish to marry me? Why?” 

Victor laughs, and eery sound that mixes geese's gakking with human laughter. 

“I saw you dance some years ago while visiting Christophe. It was at his masked ball but you had been drinking and tossed it aside. You were ravishing, and had I not been in morning for my father still I would have sought you out and asked for your hand then.” 

Yuuri remembering the ball and the subsequent hangover starts blushing. “That is a horrid image you have of me. How can you fall for that.” 

Victor shrugs his shoulders and says nothing. 

Yuuri feeling embarrassed about the conversation pulls Victor’s head to his shoulder and strokes it. “Oh.” He looks at the feathers his fingers just went over. “There is something stuck between your feathers. Let me remove it for you.” 

A platinum pin gets pulled out and to everyone's amazement it is a very naked Victor that stands in Yuuri’s embrace. 

Realizing the meaning of the pins they’re used on Conrad as punishment. Many guests wonder why there is a goose in a cage during the wedding but only those close know the full story.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think. I love hearing from people that read my stories. :}


End file.
